Niagara Falls - YouTube Niagara Falls Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Feb 21, 2007 Over The Falls Bobby Leach and his barrel after his trip over Niagara Falls, 1911In October 1829, Sam Patch, who called himself The Yankee Leaper, jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of daredevils trying to go over the Falls. In 1901, 63-year-old school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the Falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but virtually unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, "No one should ever try that again." Unfortunately, the fortune she hoped to make from a later lecture tour was never realized, as her manager was a con-man who took everything she owned.

(Legend says that a small kitten rode in the barrel with her, but this seems to have been a whimsical myth. She in fact sent the cat over the falls in a barrel first. Although the cat did not survive, Taylor went on with the stunt. Still, when she posed with the barrel afterwards, a kitten sat placidly on top of it.) Since Taylor's historic ride, 14 other people have intentionally gone over the Falls in or on a device, despite her advice. Some have survived unharmed, but others have drowned or been severely injured. Survivors of such stunts face charges and stiff fines, as it is illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the Falls. In 1918, there was a near disaster when a barge working up-river broke its tow, and almost plunged over the falls. Fortunately, the vessel grounded on rocks just short of the falls.[23] Other daredevils have made crossing the Falls their goal, starting with the successful passage by Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet in 1859. These tightrope walkers drew huge crowds to witness their exploits.

Their wires ran across the gorge, near the current Rainbow Bridge, not over the waterfall itself. Among the many was Ontario's William Hunt, who billed himself as "Signor Fanini" and competed with Blondin in performing outrageous stunts over the gorge. Englishman Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel, drowned in 1883 after unsuccessfully trying to swim across the whirlpools and rapids downriver from the Falls with nine other people. Two others drowned with him, and the other seven gave up before finishing their course. In what some called the "Miracle at Niagara", Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over the Horseshoe Falls protected only by a life vest on July 9, 1960, as two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only 20 feet (6 m) from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island.[24] Minutes later, Roger was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath the Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the Maid of the Mist boat.

His survival, which no one thought possible, made news throughout the world. On July 2, 1984, Canadian Karel Soucek from Hamilton, Ontario successfully plunged over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel with only minor injuries. Soucek was fined $500 for performing the stunt without a license. In 1985, he was fatally injured while attempting to re-create the Niagara drop at the Houston Astrodome. His aim was to climb into a barrel hoisted to the rafters of the Astrodome and to drop 180 feet (55 m) into a water tank on the floor. After his barrel released prematurely, it hit the side of the tank and he died the next day from his injuries.[25] In August 1985, Steve Trotter, an aspiring stunt man from Rhode Island, became the youngest person ever (age 22) and the first American in 25 years to go over the Falls in a barrel. Ten years later, Trotter went over the Falls again, becoming the second person to go over the Falls twice and survive.

It was also the second-ever "duo"; Lori Martin joined Trotter for the barrel ride over the Falls. They survived the fall but their barrel became stuck at the bottom of the falls, requiring a rescue. They became the first individuals to serve jail time for going over Niagara Falls. The first two-person trip over the brink goes to Jeffrey Petkovich (25) and Peter Debernardi (42) on September 27, 1989.[26] On September 27, 1993 John "David" Monday, of Caistor Centre, Ontario, became the first person to survive going over the falls twice.[27] Kirk Jones of Canton, Michigan became the first known person to survive a plunge over the Horseshoe Falls without a flotation device on October 20, 2003. While it is still not known whether Jones was determined to commit suicide, he survived the 16-story fall with only battered ribs, scrapes, and bruises.[28] A newspaper account in the late 19th century does cite a bulldog believed to have successfully, though accidentally, endured the passage.

All "over the Falls" survivors have passed over the Horseshoe Falls, where there are fewer boulders, and the current can "throw" a person farther away from the brink to avoid them. Category Who will be the first to swim around the world? Home » sports » Who will be the first to swim around the world? Who will be the first to swim around the world? Far-fetched it may seem but when Benoit Lecomte swam across the Atlantic in 1998 he introduced a new global sports challenge: the first to swim around the world. The long history of swimming is depicted in mosaics from early Middle Eastern civilizations and at Pompeii. Although swimming was not included in the ancient Olympic Games, the Greeks practiced the sport, holding it in high regard. Plato considered a man who didn’t know how to swim to be uneducated. Julius Caesar and Charlemagne were known as great swimmers and Louis XI frequently swam in the Seine. There have been other swimmers whose talents brought them international fame: Johnny Weissmuller, Gertrude Ederle, Mark Spitz. And then there was Captain Matthew Webb.

On 24 August 1875 he slipped into the water at Dover, England, and 21 hours and 45 minutes later touched land at Cape Gris Nez, France, becoming the first man to conquer the English Channel. Swimming the English Channel became the greatest swimming challenge of the day. Since Webb’s triumph, there have been more than 6 200 known attempts to swim the English Channel. More than 470 people were successful over 600 times, including a 12-year-old boy in 1979, a 12-year-old girl in 1983, a 65-year-old man in 1983, and a 45-year-old woman in 1975. Mike Read holds the men’s record, and Alison Streeter surpassed him with the women’s record. Matthew Webb, in search of an ever greater challenge, died attempting to swim the violent whirlpool rapids below Niagara Falls in 1882. The first woman to swim the English Channel was 19-year old American Gertrude Ederle, who was partially deaf from a childhood case of measles.

From 1921 to 1925, Ederle set 29 US and world records for swimming races ranging from the 50 metre (50 yard) to the half-mile race. In the 1924 Summer Olympic Games, she won a gold medal as a member of the championship US 400-meter freestyle relay team, at only 17 years of age. On 6 August 1926 she crossed the English Channel in 14 hours and 31 minutes – 2 hours faster than the men’s record – setting a woman’s world record that stood for 35 years. It brought her even further international acclaim, and a ticker parade in New York. Gertrude Ederle 1926 – first woman to swim across the English Channel. Swimming the open ocean, any ocean, is no easy feat. The water is icy cold, the tides are fierce, and the traffic of tankers and ferries is daunting. Such huge challenges, however, seem to be the thriving factor for the most brave. One of whom is Alison Streeter (b. 1964).

Known as “Queen of the Channel,” she has swum the chilly Channel more times than anyone else – 43 crossings. Streeter first swam the Channel at 18, is the first woman to swim the ‘double’, and the only woman ever to have completed the ‘three-way’ to France, back and to France again. Alison Streeter has swam the grueling English Channel more times than anyone. Although the 34km (21 mile) English Channel is considered the most grueling swim in the world, other waterways were tackled in the quest to become the one who swims further and faster: Siberia’s Lake Baikal, Cuba to the Florida Keys, the Canada Channel, Catalina Channels, Manhattan Island, and even the Bering Strait. Another great sportsman – at 13 years old Kutraleeswaraan swam six waterways in one calendar year, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The greatest swimmer ever? Possibly the greatest triumph of endurance is Benoit Lecomte swimming across the Atlantic ocean. Lecomte, born 1967, immigrated from France to Austin, Texas, at age 23.

When his father died of colon cancer in 1992, it spurred him to do something extraordinary to raise awareness of and money for cancer research. With the help of Edward Coyle, director of UT Austin’s Human Performance Lab, and dieticians, Lecomte trained to build his endurance, swimming and cycling 3 to 5 hours a day, six days a week for two years. On 16 July 1998 he set out from Cape Cod with 8 wet suits, a snorkel and some flippers into turning weather. Navigated through the 40th and 50th latitude by two French sailors on a 12m (40 foot) sailboat and protected by an electronic force field, Lecomte swam 6 to 8 hours a day at two-hour intervals. Benoit Lecomte swimming the Atlantic ocean He mainly used the crawl stroke, switching occasionally to a mono fin and using an undulating dolphin kick to carry him over the 5 600 km (3 736 nautical miles) of relentless waves.

After 72 days later, on 28 September 1998, he swam ashore, exhausted but heroic, at Quiberon, France. In a remarkable feat of endurance, 31-year Benoit Lecomte became the first man to swim across the Atlantic ocean, 1998. Lecomte probably could not have done it without the modern techniques and clothing that have helped athletes reach astonishing levels of performance. The latest swimming costumes reduce drag resistance by more than 8%, resulting in a performance that is even better than when swimming naked. Consider that when Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim the English Channel in 1875, his waterlogged woolen swimwear weighed about 3 kg (10 lb). By contrast, the new Speedo one-piece weighs just a few ounces, even when soaked. But it is not just the clothes that maketh the man, or woman. To swim across an ocean, you have to become your own hero before becoming everybody else’s. That is the type of material that Lecomte donned – and what his challengers will need.

The 1920s was the Golden Age of Sports and Johnny Weissmuller was its golden swimmer. He set world records in 67 different events before trading swimming for even greater fame as Hollywood’s most durable Tarzan. Other firsts: BBC - Shropshire - Captain Webb, the Channel swimmer 13:30 GMT, Friday, 2 October 2009 14:30 UK Captain Webb, the Channel swimmer Captain Matthew Webb was born in Shropshire and achieved instant celebrity status when he became the first man to swim the English Channel. At 10.41am on Wednesday, 25 August 1875 Webb arrived in France after a 22-hour swim from Dover. After his triumph over the Channel he was hailed as a public hero and was celebrated wherever he went. He was fearless and a very strong swimmer having learnt to swim in the strong currents of the River Severn. Jumped overboard Webb was born in the mining village of Dawley on 19 January 1848. He was one of eight children of a local doctor.

From an early age he wanted to go to sea and when he was 12 he went to train as a merchant seaman for two years. His prowess as a swimmer, at a time when most sailors were unable to swim, was soon noticed. On one occasion he jumped overboard in a vain attempt to save a colleague who had fallen into the water. He was the first person to be awarded the Stanhope Medal for his bravery. He was also given £100. Started training In 1873 Webb read of a failed attempt to to swim the channel by JB Johnson and determined to try it himself. He quit his job as captain of the steamship Emerald and began to train, first at Lambeth Baths in London and them on the Thames and English Channel. His first attempt in August 1875 was a failure. Seven hours into the swim a storm blew up and he had to give up. Twelve days later he set out again, accompanied by a flotilla of three boats. Despite being stung by a jellyfish he carried on and by dawn was fighting the tide as he tried to reach Cap Gris Nez on the French coast.

For five hours he swam along the coast trying to land and eventually made landfall at Calais after swimming 39 miles. Fatal stunt Webb never returned to his life as a sailor but made a good living as an exhibition swimmer, sometimes racing against other daredevil swimmers, or attempting circus-style stunts. He married Madelaine Kate Chaddock in 1880 but did not give up his dangerous lifestyle. At 4.25pm on 24 July 1883 he attempted to swim across the rapids at Niagara Falls on the Canada/USA border. He jumped into the water from a small boat and within 10 minutes was caught by the current and dragged under by a whirlpool. Dawley memorial His body was found four days later and he was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls. In 1909, Webb's older brother Thomas unveiled a memorial in Dawley. The inscription on it is short and to the point: "Nothing great is easy". The memorial was damaged when a lorry backed into it in February 2009. However, it was repaired and hoisted back onto its plinth in Dawley High Street in October 2009.

There is another memorial to him at Coalbrookdale Church. It was put in the porch because many people believed that the fatal Niagara swim was so dangerous it was an act of suicide - considered a sin by the church. Boston Swimmer to Tackle 21-mile English Channel - Swimming World News 24 July 2009, 11:56am Boston Swimmer to Tackle 21-mile English Channel WALTHAM, Massachusetts, July 24. ELAINE Kornbau Howley, 31, of Waltham, Mass., is gearing up for one heck of a long swim. Howley will attempt a solo crossing of the Strait of Dover, a 21-mile stretch of the English Channel between Dover, United Kingdom, and Cap Gris Nez, France, sometime between August 1st and 8th, 2009, and is attempting to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America in memory of her sister.

For Howley, a successful attempt at crossing the Channel will be her third— and final— notch in the Triple Crown of open-water marathon swimming, putting her on an elite list of fewer than 30 swimmers who have completed this feat. The Triple Crown comprises three of the world's toughest bodies of water to swim: Swimming across the English and Catalina Channels, and completing a solo circumnavigation of Manhattan Island as part of the annual Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (MIMS) ( In September 2008, Howley earned her first crown after completing her first-ever solo crossing, the Catalina Channel, a 21-mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean between Catalina Island and the mainland of southern California, in 10:57:44. Last month, Howley grabbed reign number two after placing 8th in the MIMS, a 28.5-mile race around Manhattan island; she completed this swim in 8:39:50. "Catalina was the best possible introduction I could have had to the world of Channel swimming. I had an awesome swim and felt really good the whole way," Howley says.

"MIMS was tougher than I expected, but another great experience for building confidence and preparing for the ultimate challenge. I feel ready to take on the third installment of this adventure in a few weeks' time!" More people have climbed Mount Everest and been in outer space than have managed to successfully swim the English Channel since the first crossing in 1875, by Captain Matthew Webb. Webb, who later died attempting to swim through the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara Falls, completed his unassisted crossing of the Strait of Dover, from England to France, in 21 hours and 45 minutes. In the English Channel, the biggest threat from marine life usually comes in the form of stinging jellyfish— minor compared to the Catalina Channel's wider range of sea creatures Howley faced last year, including sharks, dolphins, whales, and the ubiquitous jellyfish. But, the biggest threat to a successful crossing of the English Channel will be the unexpected changes in weather, rough waters, and, at times, hurricane force winds. Some swimmers have even endured seasickness during attempts.

"The English Channel is often referred to as the ‘Mount Everest of Open Water Swimming' and this will definitely be one of the toughest things I've ever done," Howley says. "There are so many things that could go wrong, and so few things over which I have control, that I've just got to focus on those things that I do have power over— my feedings, my mental state, and my pace— and then hope that the weather and conditions cooperate." In addition to Mother Nature's forces, Howley says that handling the cold water for hours on end and safely traversing the busy traffic lanes also pose a risk to a successful crossing. Hypothermia has terminated many swims in the past, but Howley says that she has spent a significant amount of her training time swimming in very cold water, even taking the plunge on New Year's Day with the L-Street Brownies in South Boston to build up a tolerance to icy water. "After spending a few minutes in 37-degree water, training in 55-degree water doesn't seem so bad," she says.

"Once you get past the initial gasping for air and start moving, your body temperature stabilizes and it can actually be quite pleasant." Howley, who is also the assistant swimming coach for the Wellesley High School girls swim team grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia in southern New Jersey and moved to Massachusetts in 2001 after a stint in the U.S. Peace Corps. She has lived in Waltham for the past five years. She began swimming competitively at age five, was captain of the swim team at Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and swam on the varsity team at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She began open water marathoning in 2006 with a 2nd place finish in the 8-mile Boston Light Swim. In 2007, Howley placed 4th in the 41K Lake George Swim Marathon. The swim will be observed by an official from the Channel Swimming Association (CSA) ( and Howley's guide boat, Samallen, will be piloted by Fred Mardle, a charter pilot who has guided a long list of successful, solo channel crossings.

During the swim, Howley will be supported by her husband, Mark Howley and friend, Khrista Trerotola of Boston, Massachusetts. The support team will ride in the guide boat and offer food and drinks to her during the course of the swim; however, for the swim to be official, Howely may not touch the boat or any other person until after she has fully cleared the water on the French side of the channel. Water bottles and food will be handed to her via a bucket attached to a long stick, and she must feed while treading water. If her crossing is successful, Howley will add her name to the record books of one of the toughest swims in the world. For more information about Howley and her swim, please visit The Greatest Swims Watch Monkeys Swim for Their Supper in Rare Video Looking dazed and sunburnt after her grueling weekend-long swim, she thanked her supporters, and tweeted a hope that her success would remind others to "never, ever give up" on pursuing their dreams.

What set Nyad's swim apart from other swims across the shark-infested Florida Strait was the fact that she did not swim inside a shark cage—a floating box with bars that not only protects swimmers from sharks but is said to offer a kind of towing effect that helps a swimmer through the rough seas. Instead, to keep sharks at bay, her support boat emitted a faint electronic force field. To protect herself from the countless stinging jellyfish that surface at night and which torpedoed her earlier recent attempts at the swim in 2011 and 2012, she wore a special silicone face mask, along with a full bodysuit, booties, and goggles. This was her fifth—and as she put it, final—attempt to swim the Florida Strait, the first one dating back to 1978 when she was a young woman barely out of her twenties. Now a grandmother, she has completed what is arguably one of the greatest swims of all time.

Here are a few others: May 3, 1810: The English poet Lord Byron and a Royal Navy marine named William Ekenhead swim across the Hellespont, the narrow strait that separates Europe and the part of Asia that is now Turkey. Although the point at which the two men crossed was only a mile or so wide, the powerful currents that surge through the narrows forced them to swim nearly four miles before they eventually waded ashore. Precisely why Lieutenant Ekenhead made the swim has gone unrecorded (because it was there?), but the romantic Lord Byron is said to have done it to honor Leander, the mythological Greek who swam these treacherous waters each night to meet up with his lover, Hero, on the far shore. August 25, 1875: A 27-year-old Shropshire lad named Matthew Webb waded into the chilly waters off Dover, England, and, to the strains of "Rule Britannia" played by a brass band, began swimming to France. Twenty-one hours and forty-five minutes later he waded ashore near Calais, having become the first person known to have swum the English Channel unaided.

It was his second attempt at crossing the Channel. The first, two weeks earlier, had to be abandoned due to rough weather. Webb's time, achingly slow by the standards of today's Channel swimmers, is better than it sounds. Adverse tides off France's Cap Gris Nez delayed his arrival for nearly five hours. After his famous crossing, he became a celebrity and a professional endurance swimmer. Looking for other challenges—and $12,000 in prize money—he was killed attempting to swim the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara Falls on July 24, 1883. August 6, 1926: Gertrude Ederle, a 20-year-old American swimming sensation, not only became the first woman to swim the English Channel, but also set the record for the fastest time by either sex, clocking in at 14 hours and 39 minutes when she swam from Cap Gris Nez in France to Kingsdown on the coast of Kent in England. On arrival, the exhausted "Queen of the Waves," as the press dubbed her, was pestered by an overzealous British immigration official who demanded to see her passport.

Ederle's record time, nearly two hours faster than the fastest of the five men known to have swum the Channel before her, stood for nearly a quarter of a century. These days the record for swimming the English Channel stands at 6 hours and 55 minutes for men, set in 2012 by Australian Trent Grimsey, while the fastest woman, Czech swimmer Yvetta Hlavacova, did the crossing in 7 hours and 25 minutes in 2006. August 7, 1987: After twice setting records for crossing the English Channel (1972 and 1973), swimming the treacherous waters of the Cook Strait between New Zealand's north and south islands (1975), and crossing the Straits of Magellan in Chile in 1976, Boston-born swimmer Lynne Cox helped thaw the Cold War by becoming the first person to swim across the Bering Strait, the frigid passage of water between Alaska and what was then the Soviet Union.

Braving waters that were only barely above freezing—roughly 4°C (39°F)—Cox swam the 2.3 miles between Little Diomede Island in Alaska and Big Diomede in the USSR in 2 hours and 6 minutes. In doing so, she became the first person to cross the US-USSR border in 48 years. June 1, 1998: Australian marathon swimmer Susie Maroney completed what was then the world's longest open ocean swim, crossing the 123 miles of rough seas that lies between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba in 38 hours and 33 minutes. The previous year, at the age of 22, Maroney became the first person ever to swim between Florida and Cuba, although in that swim, as in the Mexico-Cuba effort, she swam inside a shark cage towed behind her support boat.

She received a lot of criticism in some quarters for that, as the presence of the cage in the water was claimed to have made her swim "easier." One strong supporter, though, was fellow marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, who had used a shark cage herself on her first attempt at the crossing in 1978. Nyad praised the successful swim, and expressed admiration for the young Australian's feat. Comment on This Story Niagara Falls Stunts & Daredevils: History / History of Niagara Falls Stunting Niagara Falls Stunts & Daredevils: History In February 2012, NPC approved Nik Wallenda’s application to walk a tightrope stretched between the two countries, in recognition of the role that daredevil performances and stunting have played in the rich history and promotion of Niagara Falls. At the same time, the Commission has taken steps to ensure that such feats will not come at the expense of public safety and protecting the natural and cultural heritage that millions of visitors every year enjoy on NPC lands on the Canadian side of the river.

NPC has ruled that it will consider proposals by stunting professionals no more than once in a generation, or approximately once every 20 years, as a way to pay tribute to the stunting history that helped make Niagara Falls a top global tourism destination. The Niagara Parks Commission prohibits stunting on all of its properties under the authority granted under Regulations of the Niagara Parks Act. Stunting now carries a maximum fine of $10,000. Following is a chronology from the mid-1800s to 1951, of attempts to go over the Falls in a barrel or some other device, to go through the Class 6 rapids of the Great Gorge, or to walk across on a tightrope. Some of these stunters were successful, others died in their attempt: Stunters at the Falls ANNIE TAYLOR October 24, 1901 (Survived) Mrs. Annie Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher, decided that a trip over Niagara Falls was her way to fame and fortune. On October 24, 1901, assistants strapped her (along with her cat as seen in this photo) into a special harness in a barrel.

A small boat towed the barrel out into the main stream of the Niagara River and the barrel was cast loose. The rapids first slammed it one way, then the other, then came the drop and a bone-wrenching jar so violent that Mrs. Taylor was sure she hit rocks. Seventeen minutes after the plunge, the barrel had been tossed close enough to the Canadian shore to be hooked and dragged onto the rocks. Mrs. Taylor was dazed but triumphant and being the first person to conquer the mighty Falls of Niagara, she found the fame she sought so desperately. But fortune was a bit more elusive. Twenty years after her brush with death at Niagara, she died destitute. BOBBY LEACH July 25, 1911 (Survived) Bobby Leach, an Englishman, successfully made a trip in an all-steel barrel on July 25, 1911, and then spent 23 weeks in hospital recuperating from numerous fractures and other injuries. Fifteen years later on a lecture tour in New Zealand, he slipped on an orange peel, broke his leg and died of complications from the injury.

CHARLES STEPHENS July 11, 1920 (Died) The next barrel stunter to try the Falls was also an Englishman, Charles Stephens. When his heavy oak barrel hit water after the drop over the Falls on July 11, 1920, Stephens went out the bottom. He was killed and only one arm was recovered. JEAN LUSSIER July 4, 1928 (Survived) Jean Lussier, a native of Quebec, designed a six-foot rubber ball composed of 32 inner tubes and a double-wall steel frame. One of the biggest crowds on record saw the stunt on July 4, 1928. The ball took some hard knocks in the rapids but the skip over the Falls was perfect. About one hour after entering his ball, Lussier stepped ashore none the worse for wear. For many years he displayed his ball at Niagara Falls and sold small pieces of the inner tubes for souvenirs at 50 cents a piece.

GEORGE STATHAKIS July 4, 1931 (Died) On July 4th, 1931, George Stathakis, a Greek chef from Buffalo, went over the Falls in a 2,000-pound contraption of wood and steel. He survived the plunge over the Falls only to die after becoming trapped behind the curtain of water for 22 hours. He had enough oxygen for only three hours. RED HILL JR. August 6, 1951 (Died) In the summer of 1951, Red Hill Jr. planned to go over the Falls in a flimsy contrivance he called the “Thing” that consisted of 13 inner tubes held together with fish net and canvas straps. On August 6, Hill and the “Thing” headed into the rapids. It was tossed into the air, upended, thrown from side to side and bounced off rocks. It was starting to disintegrate even before it reached the Falls. When the drop came, the “Thing” disappeared into churning water at the base of the Falls. Seconds later what was left floated into view.

The following day, Hill’s battered body was taken from the river. Stunters at the Niagara River Rapids CAPTAIN JOEL E ROBINSON – Boater (Survived) When the second Maid of the Mist was sold by auction, on June 6, 1861, Captain Joel E. Robinson agreed to take the boat through the rapids and deliver it to Queenston. They cast off from the dock and headed toward the rapids. They disappeared from sight in the roughest sections of the rapids but somehow survived the jagged rocks and came safely to the dock at Queenston. CAPTAIN MATTHEW WEBB – Swimmer (Died) Captain Webb was the first man to swim the English Channel and he decided to swim the Niagara River. He dove in July 2, 1883 and soon disappeared in the first huge wave of the rapids. Webb’s body was recovered four days later down river near Lewiston, New York. CARLISLE D.

GRAHAM – Barrel Rider (Survived) On July 11, 1886, Carlisle Graham was the first daredevil to navigate the Whirlpool Rapids without mishap, in a seven-foot hand-made oak barrel. Graham made three more successful trips after that. WILLIAM KENDALL – Swimmer (Survived) William Kendall, a policeman from Boston, with the help of a good life preserver, successfully made the swim through the rapids on August 22, 1886. GEORGE POTTS/WILLIAM HAZLETT – Barrel Riders (Survived) One month later, these two made the first double trip through the rapids in a barrel on August 8, 1886. CHARLES A. PERCY - Boater (Survived) An experienced river man designed a special seventeen-foot boat with floatation tanks fore and aft. He made his first trip on August 28, 1887 and two more successful trips, one of them with William Dittrick as a passenger. On the third trip he lost his boat.

ROBERT FLACK - Boater (Died) On July 4, 1888, Robert Flack, in a boat named “Phantom” filled with a buoyant filling of excelsior and wood shavings, drowned when the boat overturned and stayed upside down while it was pulled around and around in the Whirlpool. PETER NISSEN - Boater (Survived) In his boat “The Fool Killer”, the smallest steamboat afloat, Peter Nissen made the trip October 12, 1901 without a head of steam as the smokestack was carried away. Nissen survived and his claim to fame was that his stunt was the first to be recorded on movie film. The Edison Movie Co. filmed the event. Tightrope Walkers over the Niagara Gorge JEAN FRANCOIS GRAVELET (THE GREAT BLONDIN) Professionally known as “The Great Blondin”, Gravelet was the first of many tightrope walkers to appear at Niagara Falls. He was a professional artist and showman trained in the great tradition of the European circus.

At age 31 he came to America and made the announcement that he would cross the gorge of the Niagara River on a tightrope. On June 30, 1859 the rope was in position and at five o’clock in the afternoon, Blondin started the trip that was to make history. Watchers saw him lower a rope from the tightrope to the Maid of the Mist, pull up a bottle and sit down while he refreshed himself. He began his ascent toward the Canadian shore, paused, steadied the balancing pole and suddenly executed a back somersault. Never content merely to repeat his last performance, Blondin crossed his rope on a bicycle, walked blindfolded, pushed a wheelbarrow, cooked an omelet in the centre and made the trip with his hands and feet manacled. Yet even these stunts failed to satisfy Blondin’s urge to test him. He announced that on August 19 he would cross the gorge carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back. It was to be the supreme test of Blondin’s skill and stamina. According to Colcord, the trip was a nightmare. In the unguyed centre section, the pair swayed violently.

Blondin was fighting for his life. He broke into a desperate run to reach the first guy rope. When he reached it and steadied himself, it broke. Once more the pair swayed alarmingly as Blondin again ran for the next guy. When they reached it Blondin gasped for Colcord to get down. Six times in all Colcord had to dismount while Blondin had to charge the crowd on the brink to prevent the press of people forcing them back in the precipice. He died in England at the age of 73. WILLIAM LEONARD HUNT A resident of Port Hope, Ontario, known as Signor Farini, William Hunt duplicated almost all Blondin’s stunts, but never managed to steal the limelight from Blondin. The Niagara Falls Gazette reported Farini’s September 5, 1860 washing machine stunt, “He strapped an Empire Washing Machine to his back and walked slowly to the desired place in the centre of the rope”. He secured his balancing pole and machine on the cable. He then drew water from the river nearly 200 feet below, in primitive style, with a pail and cord.

Several ladies, desiring to patronize him in his character as a washerwoman, had given him their handkerchiefs to wash. Before long his washing was done, the handkerchiefs wrung out and hung up to dry on the uprights and crossbars of the machine. With the washing flapping in the wind, he adjusted his load and returned. HARRY LESLIE After the 1859 and 1860 performances of Blondin and Farini, there was a lull until June 15, 1865 when Harry Leslie, billed as “The American Blondin”, crossed the Whirlpool Rapids gorge on a rope. ANDREW JENKINS On August 24, 1869 Andrew Jenkins crossed at the same site, riding a velocipede. MARIA SPELTERINA A 23-year-old Italian woman, Maria Spelterina was the only woman to cross the Niagara gorge on a tightrope. In 1867, she walked backwards, put a paper bag over her head, and wore peach baskets on her feet to inject some drama into her crossings.

STEPHEN PEER Stephen Peer of Niagara Falls, Ontario made several crossings, but a few days after his walk on June 25, 1887, his body was found on the rocks below. It was assumed that he had fallen while attempting a night crossing wearing his street shoes. SAMUEL DIXON On September 6, 1890, Dixon, a Toronto photographer, attired in terra cotta coloured tights and black silk trunks and wearing his lucky Civil War cap crossed the gorge on the same cable used by Stephen Peer. He made a number of crossings performing various stunts on the wire. CLIFFORD CALVERLEY On October 12, 1892, a Toronto steeplejack, Clifford Calverley, crossed several times on a 1.9 cm (3/4") steel cable. On one of his crossings he established a record when he made the trip in 6 minutes, 32 ½ seconds. JAMES HARDY James Hardy at 21 years of age was the youngest person to cross the gorge on a wire and made several crossings in July 1896. His performances were the last tightrope walking displays permitted in Niagara Falls.

Wellesley assistant swim coach takes on English Channel - News - Wicked Local - Boston, MA Wellesley assistant swim coach takes on English Channel Thursday Jul 30, 2009 at 12:01 AM Jul 30, 2009 at 10:59 PM Elaine Kornbau Howley, 31, of Waltham is gearing up for one heck of a long swim. The Wellesley High School girls swim team assistant coach will attempt a solo crossing of the Straits of Dover, a 21-mile stretch of the English Channel between Dover, United Kingdom, and Cap Gris Nez, France, sometime between Aug. 1 and 8, and is attempting to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America in memory of her sister. Special to the Townsman Elaine Kornbau Howley, 31, of Waltham is gearing up for one heck of a long swim.

The Wellesley High School girls swim team assistant coach will attempt a solo crossing of the Straits of Dover, a 21-mile stretch of the English Channel between Dover, United Kingdom, and Cap Gris Nez, France, sometime between Aug. 1 and 8, and is attempting to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of America in memory of her sister. Howley, who has been the assistant swim coach at Wellesley since 2007, also coaches the Masters swim team at Longfellow Sports Club in Natick. Howley grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia in southern New Jersey and moved to Massachusetts in 2001 after a stint in the U.S. Peace Corps. She began swimming competitively at age 5, was captain of the swim team at Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, N.J., and swam on the varsity team at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She began open-water marathoning in 2006 with a second-place finish in the 8-mile Boston Light Swim.

For Howley, a successful attempt at crossing the Channel will be her third— and final— notch in the Triple Crown of open-water marathon swimming, putting her on an elite list of fewer than 30 swimmers who have completed this feat. The Triple Crown comprises three of the world’s toughest bodies of water to swim: Swimming across the English and Catalina channels, and completing a solo circumnavigation of Manhattan Island as part of the annual Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. In September 2008, Howley earned her first crown after completing her first-ever solo crossing, the Catalina Channel, a 22-mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean between Catalina Island and the mainland of southern California, in 10:57:44. Last month, Howley grabbed rein number two after placing eighth in the MIMS, a 28.5-mile race around Manhattan island; she completed this swim in 8:39:50. “Catalina was the best possible introduction I could have had to the world of channel swimming. I had an awesome swim and felt really good the whole way,” Howley said. “MIMS was tougher than I expected, but another great experience for building confidence and preparing for the ultimate challenge.

I feel ready to take on the third installment of this adventure in a few weeks time.” More people have climbed Mount Everest and been in outer space than have managed to successfully swim the English Channel since the first crossing in 1875, by Captain Matthew Webb. Webb, who later died attempting to swim through the Whirlpool Rapids below Niagara Falls, completed his unassisted crossing of the Straits of Dover, from England to France, in 21 hours and 45 minutes. In the English Channel, the biggest threat from marine life usually comes in the form of stinging jellyfish — minor compared to the Catalina Channel’s wider range of sea creatures Howley faced last year, including sharks, dolphins, whales and the ubiquitous jellyfish. But, the biggest threat to a successful crossing of the English Channel will be the unexpected changes in weather, rough waters and, at times, hurricane force winds. Some swimmers have even endured seasickness during attempts. “The English Channel is often referred to as the ‘Mount Everest of Open Water Swimming,’ and this will definitely be one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,” Howley said.

“There are so many things that could go wrong, and so few things over which I have control, that I’ve just got to focus on those things that I do have power over — my feedings, my mental state, and my pace — and then hope that the weather and conditions cooperate.” In addition to Mother Nature’s forces, Howley said that handling the cold water for hours on end and safely traversing the busy traffic lanes also pose a risk to a successful crossing. Hypothermia has terminated many swims in the past, but Howley said that she has spent a significant amount of her training time swimming in very cold water, even taking the plunge on New Year’s Day with the L-Street Brownies in South Boston to build up a tolerance to icy water. “After spending a few minutes in 37-degree water, training in 55-degree water doesn’t seem so bad,” she said.

“Once you get past the initial gasping for air and start moving, your body temperature stabilizes and it can actually be quite pleasant.” The swim will be observed by an official from the Channel Swimming Association and Howley’s guide boat, Samallen, will be piloted by Fred Mardle, a charter pilot who has guided a long list of successful, solo channel crossings. During the swim, Howley will be supported by her husband, Mark Howley and friend, Khrista Trerotola of Boston. The support team will ride in the guide boat and offer food and drinks to her during the course of the swim; however, for the swim to be official, Howley may not touch the boat or any other person until after she has fully cleared the water on the mainland side of the channel. Water bottles and food will be handed to her via a bucket attached to a long stick, and she must feed while treading water. If her crossing is successful, Howley will add her name to the record books of one of the toughest swims in the world.

8 Ways to Cross the English Channel (without a boat) | Mental Floss 8 Ways to Cross the English Channel (without a boat) Image credit: Like us on Facebook The English Channel (La Manche) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Britain from France. The actual channel is the length of the entire southern coast of England, and contains many inhabited islands. When people attempt new ways of crossing the channel, they do it at the Strait of Dover, which is the narrowest point of the channel at only 34 kilometers (21 miles) between Dover and Calais. The cachet of crossing the channel is way out of proportion to its distance. There is something symbolic about making the trip, particularly if you do it in a new way. 1. Balloon The first channel crossing by air was in the 18th century. French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American doctor John Jeffries took off from Dover Castle in a hydrogen balloon on January 7th, 1785. The two had to pitch almost everything they took overboard in order to stay afloat, but landed unharmed at GuÃ®nes, France about two and a half hours later. 2.

Swim The first man to swim the channel was Captain Matthew Webb in 1875. It took 21 hours and 45 minutes. Webb trained for two years and made an unsuccessful attempt a couple of weeks before his historic crossing. The course he took was 39 miles, due to strong currents. He became a celebrity and a professional swimmer afterward. Webb died while attempting to swim the Whirlpool Rapids under Niagara Falls in 1883. The first woman to swim the channel not only broke ground for her sex, but beat the time of the five men who preceded her by at least two hours! American swimmer Gertrude Ederle had already won a gold medal and two bronze medals at the 1924 Olympics. On August 6th, 1926 she swam from Cap Gris-Nez, France to Kingsdown, England in 14 hours and 30 minutes. That speed record stood until 1950 . 3.

Airplane The first flight over the channel in an airplane came in 1909 when French inventor Louis BlÃ©riot piloted a monoplane he designed from Calais to Dover in 37 minutes. He was one of three competitors who answered a challenge from the Daily Mail, which had offered a thousand pounds ($5,000) to the first man to fly the channel. 4. Pedal The first human-powered flight across the channel occurred in 1979 when the Gossamer Albatross piloted by cyclist Bryan Allen flew over the channel in 2 hours and 39 minutes. It was powered by pedals that turned propellers. The Gossamer Albatross was designed by Paul B. MacCready and his team. MacCready won his second Kremer Prize (worth Â£100,000) with the channel crossing. 5. Train Since May 6, 1994 it is possible to cross the channel by train. It was on that day the Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche) or "Chunnel" officially opened.

A Eurostar train left Folkestone carrying Queen Elizabeth II, and another left Coquelles carrying French president Francois Mitterand. In addition to passengers, trains carry trucks and other vehicles underneath the Strait of Dover. 6. Skydive In 2003, Australian Felix Baumgartner became the first person to skydive across the channel. He jumped out of a plane over Dover and landed in Cap Blanc-Nez, France 14 minutes later. Baumgartner wore an aerodynamic suit with a 6-foot carbon fin attached to guide his flight. 7. Jet Pack Swiss pilot Yves Rossy flew the channel last week using a jet pack . He launched from a plane high over Calais and flew to Dover in just ten minutes. Rossy, known as the Rocket Man, uses a jet wing powered by four kerosene-burning engines. 8. Human-powered Zeppelin The quest for new ways to cross the English Channel never ends. 39-year-old Stephane Rousson made an attempt this past weekend to cross the channel in a pedal-powered zeppelin . The French amateur pilot was 11 miles from his goal in Wissant, France when the wind direction changed and he had to abort the flight.

Rousson was inspired by a scene in the movie E.T. More from mental_floss...

Question: Who was he: First to swim the English Channel and later died attempting to swim across Niagara Falls?
Answer: Captain Matthew Webb